SOUTHEND - 2
Join Date: Jan 2005
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I too wish everyone at Southend 'Good Luck'. But with EZY being given almost give away operating costs and not much to buy in the new terminal, I question whether Stobart are going to get a ROI?
If things change at STN once the sale goes through it could be back to the way things were???
If things change at STN once the sale goes through it could be back to the way things were???
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You're forgetting that it was a renewable ten year contract which they signed, and that only a couple of years ago there was no station, no shiny new terminal, no lengthened runway etc. I think the chances of another decline within the next decade are small unless it is an overall decline fuelled by some catastophic world event.
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With expansion of other London airports i.e. Heathrow and Gatwick some 5+ years away. Southend at least has a 5-10 year shelf life. But I think it will remain attractive until the other London airports are given the go ahead to expand. The issue I have is the tacky Stobart branding of some areas in the terminal. Such as the Stobart Duty Free signage. It does look awfully tacky.
Join Date: Jan 2008
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Boris never will
The Estuary airport will never happen, so SEN has a long future ahead. Personally I always think it's a bad thing when an airport relies on one main operator (at the moment easyJet), so any new news concerning other operators will be very welcome. Regarding Aer Lingus Commuter, if they operated two flights a day from SEN, departing at 1000 and 1430, passengers would be able to connect with flights to Boston, Chicago, Orlando and New York. Provided the tickets are competitive, I am sure it would work well; in any case, Dublin is a great city to visit.
Join Date: Apr 2009
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Stobart Group Limited
06 March 2012
6(th) March 2012
Stobart Group Limited
Stobart Group ('Stobart' or 'the Group')
New services to Dublin, with efficient transatlantic connections to New York, Boston, Chicago and Orlando from London Southend Airport with Aer Lingus Regional, operated by Aer Arann.
Stobart Group and London Southend Airport welcome the news today from Aer Lingus Regional, operated by Aer Arann, that from Summer 2012, the airline will start new daily services from London Southend to Dublin, with connections onwards to the U.S.A through Aer Lingus' mainline long haul service.
Scheduled to begin on 10 May 2012, the three-times daily service will offer passengers the benefit of new U.S. Customs and Immigration pre-clearance facilities at Dublin Airport, allowing them to arrive in America as domestic passengers, saving valuable time on arrival.
Stobart Group CEO Andrew Tinkler said: "This is a further exciting development for London Southend in what is a pivotal year in the airport's history. Dublin is a welcome addition to the services we offer, especially with the fast and efficient onward connections to the U.S.A. This, together with the existing Waterford route and Easyjet's first services from next month, will take the airport to over 100 flights a week from May 2012."
The new route to Dublin and beyond complements the existing daily Waterford service, which has been operating since March 2011. In addition, from 2 April 2012, easyJet's schedule of 70 flights a week starts from London Southend; to Amsterdam, Alicante, Barcelona, Belfast, Faro, Ibiza, Jersey, Malaga and Mallorca.
ENDS
06 March 2012
6(th) March 2012
Stobart Group Limited
Stobart Group ('Stobart' or 'the Group')
New services to Dublin, with efficient transatlantic connections to New York, Boston, Chicago and Orlando from London Southend Airport with Aer Lingus Regional, operated by Aer Arann.
Stobart Group and London Southend Airport welcome the news today from Aer Lingus Regional, operated by Aer Arann, that from Summer 2012, the airline will start new daily services from London Southend to Dublin, with connections onwards to the U.S.A through Aer Lingus' mainline long haul service.
Scheduled to begin on 10 May 2012, the three-times daily service will offer passengers the benefit of new U.S. Customs and Immigration pre-clearance facilities at Dublin Airport, allowing them to arrive in America as domestic passengers, saving valuable time on arrival.
Stobart Group CEO Andrew Tinkler said: "This is a further exciting development for London Southend in what is a pivotal year in the airport's history. Dublin is a welcome addition to the services we offer, especially with the fast and efficient onward connections to the U.S.A. This, together with the existing Waterford route and Easyjet's first services from next month, will take the airport to over 100 flights a week from May 2012."
The new route to Dublin and beyond complements the existing daily Waterford service, which has been operating since March 2011. In addition, from 2 April 2012, easyJet's schedule of 70 flights a week starts from London Southend; to Amsterdam, Alicante, Barcelona, Belfast, Faro, Ibiza, Jersey, Malaga and Mallorca.
ENDS
Last edited by maliyahsdad2; 6th Mar 2012 at 09:38.
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Aer Arann to base an aircraft in SEN to operate DUB.
SEN-DUB - 07.00-08.45 - DUB-SEN - 09.15-10.50
SEN-DUB - 12.55-14.40 - DUB-SEN - 15.10-16.45
SEN-DUB- 17.10-18.55 - DUB-SEN - 19.20-20.55
Operated by an ATR 42.
SEN-DUB - 07.00-08.45 - DUB-SEN - 09.15-10.50
SEN-DUB - 12.55-14.40 - DUB-SEN - 15.10-16.45
SEN-DUB- 17.10-18.55 - DUB-SEN - 19.20-20.55
Operated by an ATR 42.
Join Date: Oct 2005
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BMI Baby
New buyer signs deal for Bmibaby
An “EU based airline group” has signed a non-binding agreement with Bmi for the sale of Bmibaby, adding to a similar agreement already signed with a UK company.
Bmi’s owner Lufthansa is trying to offload Bmibaby before it completes the sale of Bmi to British Airways owner International Airlines Group for £172.5 million.
“This potential new owner, which has operations in several countries across Europe, would acquire 100 per cent of the shares of Bmibaby,” said Bmi in a statement.
“This would include the aircraft fleet, the existing route network and the continued employment of the existing staff.
“This non-exclusive term sheet is in addition to the term sheet already signed with a UK-based company in January 2012. Bmi plans to sign a definitive sale purchase agreement with one of the parties in the next few weeks. The completion of the transaction would occur shortly after this, subject to receiving all the necessary approvals.
“The Bmibaby brand name would continue to be used for an interim period and Bmibaby’s head office would remain in the East Midlands with the airline continuing to operate from its existing bases in the UK.”
Bmi’s CEO Wolfgang Prock-Schauer said that Bmibaby had “attracted a great level of interest and our discussions open up great future prospects for the airline and its employees”.
Lufthansa signed an agreement in principle to sell Bmi to the IAG in December but the price of the deal will be reduced if Lufthansa does not sell Bmibaby before the deal is completed.
IAG’s chief executive Willie Walsh said last week that the company had drawn up plans for what to do with Bmibaby if it ends up acquiring the airline.
An “EU based airline group” has signed a non-binding agreement with Bmi for the sale of Bmibaby, adding to a similar agreement already signed with a UK company.
Bmi’s owner Lufthansa is trying to offload Bmibaby before it completes the sale of Bmi to British Airways owner International Airlines Group for £172.5 million.
“This potential new owner, which has operations in several countries across Europe, would acquire 100 per cent of the shares of Bmibaby,” said Bmi in a statement.
“This would include the aircraft fleet, the existing route network and the continued employment of the existing staff.
“This non-exclusive term sheet is in addition to the term sheet already signed with a UK-based company in January 2012. Bmi plans to sign a definitive sale purchase agreement with one of the parties in the next few weeks. The completion of the transaction would occur shortly after this, subject to receiving all the necessary approvals.
“The Bmibaby brand name would continue to be used for an interim period and Bmibaby’s head office would remain in the East Midlands with the airline continuing to operate from its existing bases in the UK.”
Bmi’s CEO Wolfgang Prock-Schauer said that Bmibaby had “attracted a great level of interest and our discussions open up great future prospects for the airline and its employees”.
Lufthansa signed an agreement in principle to sell Bmi to the IAG in December but the price of the deal will be reduced if Lufthansa does not sell Bmibaby before the deal is completed.
IAG’s chief executive Willie Walsh said last week that the company had drawn up plans for what to do with Bmibaby if it ends up acquiring the airline.
Join Date: Dec 2011
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Dannyboy39, don't worry, Boris won't get his way!
JSCL, the development of SEN will have little bearing on LHR: apart from those travelling to the USA and using Dublin's pre-clearance facility, anyone in South Essex who uses LHR will continue to do so.
Some traffic may shift away from LGW and STN (in particular), but the SEN operation is on a relatively small scale, with just a handful of destinations. It is hemmed in on all sides so it cannot undertake massive expansion, and this may become part of it's unique selling point (the pleasures of using a small local airport).
With it's new facilities and good rail links, SEN is likely to have much more than a 5-10 year shelf-life, and to remain an attractive and convenient local airport, a template for a future NHT perhaps?
JSCL, the development of SEN will have little bearing on LHR: apart from those travelling to the USA and using Dublin's pre-clearance facility, anyone in South Essex who uses LHR will continue to do so.
Some traffic may shift away from LGW and STN (in particular), but the SEN operation is on a relatively small scale, with just a handful of destinations. It is hemmed in on all sides so it cannot undertake massive expansion, and this may become part of it's unique selling point (the pleasures of using a small local airport).
With it's new facilities and good rail links, SEN is likely to have much more than a 5-10 year shelf-life, and to remain an attractive and convenient local airport, a template for a future NHT perhaps?
Join Date: Nov 2006
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Well I see the new Aerodrome and Parking/Docking charts are published with the runway extension and newly numbered stands
http://www.ead.eurocontrol.int/eadba...2012-03-08.pdf
http://www.ead.eurocontrol.int/eadba...2012-03-08.pdf
Now the core facilitiies are in its all in its down to marketing and getting bums on seats. As far as I can see SEN has a bright future ahead of it and has a visible product and facilities to sell to airlines whereas some years ago it all seemed very grim and stuck in the past. Southend is now equipped to be ascend in the airport ranks in terms of ATM's,and pax after years of decline.
I still can't believe all of what has been achieved in such a short time and I wish I could have been there to see it happening!
Good luck to all my old friends who work there and the many travellers that will make this 'new' discovery from now on!
http://www.ead.eurocontrol.int/eadba...2012-03-08.pdf
http://www.ead.eurocontrol.int/eadba...2012-03-08.pdf
Now the core facilitiies are in its all in its down to marketing and getting bums on seats. As far as I can see SEN has a bright future ahead of it and has a visible product and facilities to sell to airlines whereas some years ago it all seemed very grim and stuck in the past. Southend is now equipped to be ascend in the airport ranks in terms of ATM's,and pax after years of decline.
I still can't believe all of what has been achieved in such a short time and I wish I could have been there to see it happening!
Good luck to all my old friends who work there and the many travellers that will make this 'new' discovery from now on!
The extended runway, new ILS, new lighting (and just about 'new everything else'!) is due to be commissioned this evening - at 19:30 I believe.
So, from later on today a new era begins for SEN. How long have I myself waited for this? Since about 1965 I guess!
So, from later on today a new era begins for SEN. How long have I myself waited for this? Since about 1965 I guess!
Join Date: Sep 2007
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46 Years On....
I still have the January 1966 issue of "Anglia Aeronews" - the first issue with the new name. Page 2 has an article entitled "What a Way to run an Airport!". You can guess its contents. One or two sentences make instructive reading though:
"During the time Southend's runway extension has been under consideration another municipal airport, Luton, has laid down a completely new runway to a total length of 7,000 feet. If Luton can do it, with somewhat less traffic, why cannot Southend? The combined railway station/terminal building was first discussed in 1953 - where is it?"
"If and when the Channel Tunnel opens, and Stansted comes into use as London's third airport, the one reason why Southend is likely to retain any importance at all is that the resident operators, Channel and BUAF, have invested large amounts of money in engineering bases at Southend."
"The answer to Southend Airport's problems is all too obvious: money must be spent."
So, 46 years later the obvious has finally materialised. Just think of all the hopes and disappointments along the way..... Channel Airways' collapse, BAF's network of scheduled services using Heralds and Viscounts, Hot Air (remember them?), the Euro cargo hub, Princess Air using BAe 146s which could operate from Southend's runway (a real false dawn there), Region Air, National Commuter, Air Holland, BWA, Regional Airports Limited........ then the enforced shortening of the runway declared distances seemed the hammer blow.
With hindsight, if 06/24 had been extended in 1966 the noise issue from the One Elevens and 737 Classics would have possibly threatened the very existence of the airport. Maybe things have finally worked out for the best, with the more environmentally friendly A319s using an extended runway. But what a wait it's been. 46 years. Strewth (as Biggles would have said)!
"During the time Southend's runway extension has been under consideration another municipal airport, Luton, has laid down a completely new runway to a total length of 7,000 feet. If Luton can do it, with somewhat less traffic, why cannot Southend? The combined railway station/terminal building was first discussed in 1953 - where is it?"
"If and when the Channel Tunnel opens, and Stansted comes into use as London's third airport, the one reason why Southend is likely to retain any importance at all is that the resident operators, Channel and BUAF, have invested large amounts of money in engineering bases at Southend."
"The answer to Southend Airport's problems is all too obvious: money must be spent."
So, 46 years later the obvious has finally materialised. Just think of all the hopes and disappointments along the way..... Channel Airways' collapse, BAF's network of scheduled services using Heralds and Viscounts, Hot Air (remember them?), the Euro cargo hub, Princess Air using BAe 146s which could operate from Southend's runway (a real false dawn there), Region Air, National Commuter, Air Holland, BWA, Regional Airports Limited........ then the enforced shortening of the runway declared distances seemed the hammer blow.
With hindsight, if 06/24 had been extended in 1966 the noise issue from the One Elevens and 737 Classics would have possibly threatened the very existence of the airport. Maybe things have finally worked out for the best, with the more environmentally friendly A319s using an extended runway. But what a wait it's been. 46 years. Strewth (as Biggles would have said)!
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I grew up in Southend and worked at the airfield from 1959 till 1974 and was a spotter well before that and I remember the discussion of runway extensions in the sixties, one plan was to have an east/west runway starting at the threshold of 15 and going out towards Rayleigh, another was also east/west but going across the airfield towards Eastwood, in the grass days there was a runway that ran in a direction of about280 from where the station is now, in fact for years the overhead electric stantions for the railway in that area were painted orange and white and were lower than normal to accommodate the approach path but the runway had been closed since the hard runways were built in 1954?
I see a bright(orange) future and hope all goes well.
I see a bright(orange) future and hope all goes well.
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It is a sobbering thought how close to death the place came as a passenger airport in recent years. Even now with the current Aer Arann and Ford flights the airport handles less passengers than Tresco or Penzance heliport! But passenger volume is on the way and judging by some of the prices on the booking engine EZY are selling the seats, although BFS and AMS seem to be a bit of a struggle just now. It is a fact that it will not all be plane sailing from here. There will be trial and error and some failures on the way but I don't think they will be particularly challenged in getting airlines that want to give it a try. I think the way they have built the terminal and station together and compressed the aircraft to platform distance is positively inspired. It is also sensible pitching the place at A319's.
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Kon Tiki Sky
Has anybody heard something regarding Kon Tiki Sky, planning to offer SEN-ANR?
kontikisky
kontikisky
It does seem somewhat incredible that the development that could or should have taken place in the sixties has finally happened. But I agree the extension of 06/24 would have been a non-starter on local political grounds at that time. There does appear to be a groundswell of local public opinion in favour of the airport nowadays which did not seem to exist back then.
There were of course alternatives to extending 06/24 though I am not sure how seriously any of them were considered. Circa 1962 Southend Council employed consultants to advise on the airport’s development. They came up with the utterly useless suggestion that 15/33 should be lengthened from 3712 to 4500 feet to accommodate HS748s and F27s which they seemed to believe were the aircraft of the future.
No doubt an entirely new east west runway (call it 11/29) would have offered major benefits. Environmentally far superior to 06/24, it could have provided better dimensions and obstacle clearance, and its location, starting near the 15 threshold would have left most of the original airport land available for development. Its operational drawback was that the Shoeburyness firing ranges would have conflicted with any “29" IAP , so unless there was an accommodation with MoD, 24 would have had to be retained as an alternative landing runway.
Such a solution would have involved a major land acquisition and this sort of ambitious development was well beyond the horizons of a town council like Southend, hence the long inevitable decline . I believe in more recent times Regional Airports, the previous owners, may have looked at it. The costs would have been enormous compared with the present developments. I am sure Stobarts have called it right in proceeding as they have done and . It is a considerable achievement and they deserve success. But I bet they wish that retail park had never happened !
Enough of history perhaps, and perhaps with the new airport finally open we should all migrate to the new thread. SOUTHEND - 3 The new beginning
There were of course alternatives to extending 06/24 though I am not sure how seriously any of them were considered. Circa 1962 Southend Council employed consultants to advise on the airport’s development. They came up with the utterly useless suggestion that 15/33 should be lengthened from 3712 to 4500 feet to accommodate HS748s and F27s which they seemed to believe were the aircraft of the future.
No doubt an entirely new east west runway (call it 11/29) would have offered major benefits. Environmentally far superior to 06/24, it could have provided better dimensions and obstacle clearance, and its location, starting near the 15 threshold would have left most of the original airport land available for development. Its operational drawback was that the Shoeburyness firing ranges would have conflicted with any “29" IAP , so unless there was an accommodation with MoD, 24 would have had to be retained as an alternative landing runway.
Such a solution would have involved a major land acquisition and this sort of ambitious development was well beyond the horizons of a town council like Southend, hence the long inevitable decline . I believe in more recent times Regional Airports, the previous owners, may have looked at it. The costs would have been enormous compared with the present developments. I am sure Stobarts have called it right in proceeding as they have done and . It is a considerable achievement and they deserve success. But I bet they wish that retail park had never happened !
Enough of history perhaps, and perhaps with the new airport finally open we should all migrate to the new thread. SOUTHEND - 3 The new beginning
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Kon Tiki Sky
Looks like a new route to Antwerp is to commence using Boeing 737-500 aircraft from 1st May 2012 operated by Kon Tiki Sky daily. This airline looks stable too - hopefully good news!! 
kontikisky
Also Danube Wings has moved its planned Dole route from Southend to 'London Cambridge' instead!
kontikiskyAlso Danube Wings has moved its planned Dole route from Southend to 'London Cambridge' instead!